In the art of portable water filter units, for example, of the general types disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,342,335; 4,013,562; 4,049,550; 4,287,057 and 4,368,123, it is desirable to have a compact unit which can be conveniently stored within a cabinet such as a kitchen sink cabinet without any dripping or leakage of water from the unit and also be quickly and conveniently used within a kitchen sink where the unit may be quickly connected to a faucet having an aerator. It is also desirable for such a filter unit to use a high quality replaceable water filter cartridge, preferably with a carbon activated filter medium, and to incorporate a container assembly which is simple and inexpensive in construction and provides for conveniently removing the filter cartridge for periodic rinsing or replacement after a period of use. As apparent after reviewing the disclosures of the above patents, none of the portable water filter units disclosed in the patents provide all of these desirable features.